Assignment Design for EOSC 516

As part of my administrative TAship for EOSC 516 during the summer of 2010, one of my projects was to change the assignment structure of the course. Whereas we previously had one large Lab Redesign assignment due at the very end of the semester, I suggested having three smaller assignments due throughout the term, so as to promote reflection (as opposed to night-before-due-date pedagogical thinking, which we had observed in the two years previous). To implement the changes, I was in charge of cutting down the Lab Redesign assignment and create what would become the final assignment of the course: a short Teaching Philosophy. As our course is pass/fail and this assignment was not to be graded (but provided with feedback by the Instructor) I was able to create an assignment that encouraged quite a bit of freedom in its implementation. In retrospect, allowing the students to take charge of designing their teaching philosophy was successful. Though some relied more on the provided guiding questions than others, all students handed in something rich with reflection on their teaching ideals.

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A World View

The header and buttons above depict earth's night-time lights, taken from space. To me, this photo evokes thoughts of the unknown, some of which I've been lucky enough to explore (via oceanographic expeditions to the Arctic in 2009 and eastern Pacific in 2010), as well as my strong belief in fostering community - both in and out of the classroom - which is represented by the beautiful clusters of light.Photo credit: Earth at Night, Nov 27, 2007, NASA. Photo editing by R.L. Taylor

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